South students explore Europe

Corrynn Osborne

While many of us spent our spring break sleeping in and procrastinating, the Westerville South Travel Club spent their break touring popular cities in Europe including Rome, Vatican City and Sorrento.

Lisa Baughman, history teacher and travel club advisor, has lead 10 tours in her seven years of coordinating, and she plans to continue next year. According to Baughman, travel club will be visiting Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and London on their next spring break trip, the “European Quartet.”

The group visited a handful of attractions during their first two days in Rome, including the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. Junior, Ariana Williams, said that she “really enjoyed the trip because it was different seeing it in real life rather than in a text book.”

On the third day of their trip they ventured to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, and wandered the gorgeous halls filled with painted ceilings that date back to 1480. Williams said, “It was really pretty. All of the paintings and sculptures were so detailed.”

The rest of their trip involved stops at the city of Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri, and the Montecassino Abbey.

Baughman said that these trips are valuable because “it’s important to understand the history of a location to understand the culture.” Williams also said that she “got to know the other people in the group during the trip”; they were people she had “never hung out with or seen before so it was cool to meet new people and make new friends.”

The group did a few bonding activities, for example building a sand castle together on the beach of the Mediterranean sea and going to dinner together.  Food is a significant part of any culture. Williams said, “The lasagna in Rome was great, the lasagna in Vatican was not very good.”

“All of Italy, they [people of Italy] only ate croissants for breakfast. They say sweet things and salty things don’t mix so it was mainly croissants and cappuccinos,” said Williams. “They also wear a lot of dark colors… They don’t say bathroom, they say toilet. So, if you say, ‘Can I use the bathroom?’, they don’t understand.”   Williams also commented on how they mostly drive smart cars, and everything is very close together.

“The education that the students are receiving is amazing. But, aside from that the personal growth is amazing,” Baughman said.  She mentioned watching students confidence grow and become more outgoing and comfortable is also another rewarding aspect.

Baughman said, “When traveling, take half the clothes and twice the money… Be prepared for anything to go wrong, sometimes when things go wrong you get opportunities you never had before. You just have to make the most of it and be flexible.”

Anyone interested in travel club should attend the next meeting on April 17, here at Westerville South in the media center at 7 pm. to review the 2020 tour options. Also, follow the travel club on their adventures by following @WSHSTravelClub on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.